As London’s Cabbies Strike, Uber Moves to Capitalize

Uber’s technology has upended one of the world’s most regulated industries, taxis.

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Uber Technologies has a message for the thousands of cabbies expected to demonstrate in central London on Wednesday: If you can’t beat us, join us.

The online car-service app on Wednesday said it would open up to the U.K.’s iconic black cabs, joining the ranks of other taxi apps already in use around London, such as Hailo and GetTaxi.

The city’s black cabs use Hailo and GetTaxi to get rides and charge their customers by the meter installed in the cab.

Uber charges are set on the ride and not by a pre-installed taxi meter so they’re not in use by the black cabs.

Black cab drivers say Uber illegally uses the app as a taximeter, which only licensed black cab drivers, who are allowed to pick up street hails, are allowed to use. The city’s transportation agency, Transport for London, said it believes the app doesn’t act as a meter, even though it calculates a fare based on time and distance travelled. The agency said it will ask a court to rule on the issue.

The announcement could be welcome news for black cab drivers, who say they are demonstrating against Transport for London for not enforcing rules, not Uber itself.

“There’s room for Black Cabs and private hire cars to co-exist in London; and we want to be part of a healthy, vibrant and diverse market that is great for consumers and drivers alike,” said Jo Bertram, Uber’s general manager for UK and Ireland.

London police said they would limit the protest to a certain geographic area between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Police said they had to do this because they tried without luck to get protest organizers to coordinate with Scotland Yard.

In Paris, Uber offered 50% off up to €25 on the day of the strike to people using the app’s ride-sharing feature.

San Francisco-based Uber offers a range of services in the more than 100 cities in which it operates, depending on what the particular laws in that city allow.

In some cities, Uber lets passengers book privately hire cars that don’t pick up street hails, like limousines or black car services. Others offer “ride sharing,” or catching a ride with a non-commercially licensed taxi driver. Working with traditional street taxis are less common but available where allowed.

In New York City, passengers can “hail” a yellow taxi using Uber but must pay the driver separately.

Previously in London, Uber had been used to book private-hire vehicles, called minicabs, or more luxurious rides.